Wednesday, 1 July 2015

So May happened and finished before I realised it had started and June was another flash of activities and stuff! Some stuff that is rather crap and other stuff that is rather exciting, so for Fresh Sewing Day this month (I completely missed it last month!!) I thought I'd show what I made in May and June altogether......well it does look more that way.

Scout Tee for me, Striped Sweater for Rose and Canopy Shawl

Quilts for Siblings Together.
I would say that there will be more sewing, knitting and possibly blogging for next month, but I can't promise anything!!

Tuesday, 30 June 2015

By the skin of my teeth I'm getting my last finish of the quarter. You may remember back....................ages ago I asked for Churn Dash blocks so that I could make a girls quilt for the Siblings Together Summer Camps.
Well I was very much delighted with the amount of amazing blocks I received, just over 120 of them, from as far afield as America and Germany and of course an awful lots from closer to home. Then back in April I added these to my Q2 FAL list to get me moving on putting them together,
Well I can safely say they are together, quilted and washed ready to be sent off to the charity just in time for the summer camps.

I asked for the blocks to be from a colour palate of sorbetish pinks, purples, yellows and turquoises so they could be the girly ones and you guys really didn't let me down.

The Pink One.

The Yellow One.

I used a strip of blocks for the backs with good old Ikea nummer, sorry if your blocks are on the back, some of mine are too!!

I quilted them diagonally though the middle of the blocks, simply as it was the quickest way to make sure they would be ready.

So all they need is they labels which I need to ask Catherine for, these labels are very kindly printed and donated by Spoonflower and Catherine keeps them safe and distributes them all to us. Spoonflower wrote a lovely blog post here about Siblings Together and I might add they are my blocks on their site!!!! ARRGGHH!!!

So thank you very very much for all you amazing people who took the time to make blocks with your time and fabric. Without you, these quilts would not have been made and would not be going to the children at camps this summer, giving siblings within the care system a hug in a quilt that is theirs and theirs alone. It really is an amazing community that we belong to, have a look at these posts for the lovelies that donated blocks.

Tuesday, 9 June 2015

Blogging and sewing has been a bit meh! at the moment, I've really struggled to get my sewjo and blogjo going recently! But I have been furiously knitting every chance I've got.
And this is what I have to show for it

The most cosiest, softest, largest shawl I've made, which also happens to be the hardest shawl to photograph too!!!
I started this shawl back in April, while on our Easter holiday and have slowly ploughed away at it and can honestly say I have really enjoyed knitting it.

The pattern was written in both written instructions and chart form, which for me was brilliant as I'm not a great chart follower, my eye wanders from one line to the next. I find that written instructions are easier to pickup from, when I have to drop the knitting and deal with real life.

Instead of the three repeats of pattern I decided to go big and added another repeat, which made it massive, but perfectly massive!! A real proper shawl.

I was petrified of the applied border, but after watching this You Tube video, it was actually really easy peasy and gives a really different finish.

Friday, 29 May 2015

Changing of the seasons aways makes me think about what my wardrobe is lacking and as always this spring, like every spring it is seriously low in tops. Especially tops that can cross from everyday school run, to throw on a necklace and be a smart top with jeans for dinner with friends.
And as luck would have it, back on boxing day when The Village Haberdashery was having a sale I bought the Scout Tee pattern, knowing that it would be a good basic pattern to have in my handmade wardrobe armoury! But, like everything else, I didn't have the right fabric to make one straight away, so I put the pattern on the shelf and promptly forgot about it, until my Spring wardrobe strop. A quick flick through the internet and I found some pretty lawn from Simply Solids to have a go with and here it is.

I bought 1.5 metres of the lawn and as it's 150cm wide I have quite a bit left, I can see very pretty infinity scarves in my sewing future!!!
Instead of the bias binding from the same fabric I decided to go with some ready made that I had in my Box of Bias that I've hoarded from Frumble Fabrics, in a similar colour.

Ignore the very wonky stitching!!!
I chopped this all out on a Friday night, whilst waiting to go and collect the teen from a party and with Olive the Overlocker running next to my sewing machine I had the tank part of the top together in no time. Leaving the sleeves for the Saturday, I reckon I got this together in a few hours, with just the bias binding giving the only swearing moment. I chopped the shop bought one the same as the pattern size, but it was too short so I had to cut another slightly longer, don't know why!?!

I made the size 16 which was what my bust measurements fell into, but I think I could make the 14 next time as there is lots of room. The Husband might have said it's not the most flattering top and quite baggy around the middle, but I'm pleased with anything that covers my "3 pregnancy's and likes food and wine too much belly!!!" thank you very much.
Anyway, it is a massive hit to me, as I have literally washed and worn it a handful of times over the last two weeks that is has been made. It's so comfy pretty, I just need to cut out the next one.....

I can't wait to turn those hearts into a top, once half term is over and the children are back at school.

Friday, 22 May 2015

Are you sitting comfortably, then I will begin.
A long long time ago, way back last Spring or Summer I saw a gorgeous striped sweater in the Debbie Bliss Magazine that would be just perfect for Rose and I bought the yarn straight away. I then promptly forgot about it!!!
In January I opened up a sewing box in the front room to look for something completely different (stitch markers I think) and found all the yarn for it, so gave myself a stern talking too and got knitting..........and although the pattern was a joy and the knitting very easy, I have the attention span of Dory and got tempted by lots of pretty shawl patterns (I've knitted 3 and a bit shawls in this time!!!!) so the jumper was knitted here and there at clubs and swimming, when I needed easy no thinking knitting.
And then there was the that moment when Boris ate the pattern, there was tears, tantrums (all from me and a bit from Boris when I wouldn't let him finish eating it!) and lots of guess work on the pattern also, which slowed me too.
Then in April with the back and front completed and the sleeves started I added it to my 2015 FAL Q2 List to give me the much needed kick to finish it. And finish it I did...........

And I love it, BUT.......
Knowing how slow I am at knitting garments and that Rose is fairly tall I made the 5-6 years size and........

.....it is ENORMOUS!!!! Gorgeous, but far far too big for my little lady at the moment and probably for a while!!

In hindsight this project taught me quite a few knitting lessons, the first being to keep the pattern away from the dog.

Secondly, to use the measurements and knit to fit!!!
The next is that I can now drop a stitch several rows down and fix a problem without frogging rows and rows of timely knitting.

And lastly I have finally learnt to join knitting pieces properly, thanks to YouTube. I always used a blanket stitch with the pieces right-side facing (thats the sewist in me), which gave a messy and bulky finish, but I have discovered that with knitting it's all about having the right-sides out!! It gives such a neat finish.

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